Not Exactly What You Think
by PrincessThunderquake
Summary: Eva reflects on herself while the contestants enjoy some down time. Takes place in season one after Ezekiel's elimination. I apologize if I bash any of your favorite TDI girls, but these are Eva's thoughts. Rated out of paranoia.


Not Exactly What You Think

The air on Wawanakwa Island was cool and light, a small breeze dancing through the evening air. For twenty-one teens, it was a time of reprieve after a long hard day. This group of mismatched youngsters was thrown together for the common goal of winning one hundred thousand dollars. The newest reality show, Total Drama Island, had just finished its premiere episode and the contestants were resting. A majority of the cast spent their time on the steps of their cabins, attempting to mingle with their team members. Naturally, not everyone bonded with each other, some making terrible first impressions, but that is to be expected between such diverse bunches. One teen decided to skip all of the schmoozing and attitudes in search of some calming silence on the docks. Eva knew that she was different from all of the other girls and that she wouldn't be a favorite amongst the guys, but she was ok with that. At least on the outside she was.

The ebony haired strong woman was used to putting on a front; she had to in order to survive. Deep down, however, she was just as much of a girl as the rest of them. Sure she didn't wear makeup, go shopping, or obsess over the hottest boy bands, but that just wasn't her. Sometimes she thought if she _were_ to act like that, then maybe she would get the same amount of attention. It would be a difficult transition at first, but if it could help her, then, why shouldn't she at least try. Maybe one of the other girls could help her be more feminine, but it would have to be someone she relatively liked. Looking over her shoulder at the mainland, Eva began her scope of possible "girliness teachers".

Her hazel eyes landed on the first thing that caught them, a glowing wave of brilliant blonde. The shimmering locks belong to that Lindsay girl who was talking animatedly with a girl of darker hair. The strong woman quickly crossed her out with her mental red pen and cringed at the thought for good measure. Obviously Lindsay was pretty, beautiful even, as she drew the eye of every male that came her way. It was just the fact that she was, well, an idiot that scared Eva into the hasty denial; if she were to let Lindsay have any say in her change of face who knows what that bimbo would have done. The last thing Eva wanted was to prance around in strips of cloth and act like that in order to be noticed.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the mental horror, Eva moved on to the next girl in her line of sight. The dark hair from earlier belonged to a long legged Asian girl with a serious attitude problem. Heather. She was crossed out just as quickly as Lindsay, albeit for completely different reasons. Heather had only been here for one day and already she wound up on Eva's want to hit list. Completely the opposite of stupid, the scantily covered harpy was manipulative, backstabbing and selfish; basically a mash up of everything Eva hated. If she did ask her for help, she would probably have to do something embarrassing to please her or have to do her bidding. Eva would sooner pummel the girl than do any of those things.

A flash of teal distracted the iron woman from her musings and her attention was drawn to a new target. This girl wore quite a bit of dark clothing and had very pale skin with blue-green lips. She had just exited the girl's side of her team's cabin, and was now sitting on the steps writing in a book. If her memory served her right, then this girl's name was Gwen. Eva took more time to consider this one than she did the last two. Gwen wasn't overly attractive like Lindsay and Heather, but, rather had a more subtle and reserved quality to her looks. To Eva, she kind of looked like a modern day Victorian queen instead of a teenager. Unfortunately, she just didn't have the "willing to help anyone attitude" that Eva was looking for. And while she was into cool, subtle colors, Eva didn't think that she would look too great as a Goth.

Moving on, she then spotted two girls dressed in identical clothes, talking excitedly about that tanned, blue eyed boy tanning on the beach. One was tall, thin and tan; the ideal beauty that any guy would talk to. Her companion was the exact opposite in appearance, being short, chubby and pale. She believed the tall one was Sadie and the short one was Katie? Or, perhaps it was the other way around. Whatever, the order didn't matter right now. What did matter was the fact that Eva would NEVER receive a makeover from the Giggle Twins. They'd dress her up just like them, and that was _way _too much pink. Just the sight of it made her gag a little in her throat.

Quickly diverting from the "wish they were twins", Eva's attention was grabbed by a blur of green and orange that turned out to be a girl performing cartwheels and backflips. The strong woman remembered that that girl's name was Izzy, a fiery red head with crazy habits. Ok, even entertaining the thought of _her_ being anywhere near her face was frightening. The things that girl did on her own were freaky, but if she decided to use scissors… Eva turned her head away so fast it could have given an owl whiplash. The next girl in her line of sight was a definite improvement over the last one.

This girl had tan skin, freckles, and was dressed in a respectable and clean outfit. She was currently trying to start a conversation with an Indian boy who had his nose buried in a book. Scratching her head in thought, the hazel eyed European recalled that this girl's name was Courtney. She seemed like a relatively nice girl, if her actions were anything to go by. She was polite and listened to the opinions of those around her rather than dictating everything. Hmph, but she was probably one of those types who would try to tell Eva that she was perfect the way she was and that she shouldn't try to change for others. If Eva wanted advice like that then she would have talked to her mom.

By now, Eva had turned her head in the direction of the beach where she saw a small, mousey looking girl fiddling with yarn. She had large glasses and pink jeans, all in all a nerdy look, accentuated highly by her mouthful of braces. Further thinking helped the iron woman recollect this girl's name to be Beth. Now, Beth wasn't an _ugly _girl, she just needed some help in the looks department. Remove the glasses and braces, try a new hair style, slap on a better outfit, and she'd be just as pretty as the other girls on the island. She was the quirky type; marching to the beat of her own drum and having fun with it all the while. That is, until someone who would be considered "higher up" on the popularity poll began to mock her for it.

As soon as the criticism began, Beth would crawl back into her emotional shell and attempt to bend to the whims of those seemingly above her. To Eva, that was just being plain spineless. If she would just stand up for herself and gain some confidence, she would probably be a lot happier and, maybe, in a relationship. Obviously, this girl was not the type that Eva needed at the moment. The Euro girl's options were getting shorter and shorter, as was her temper. Her fingernails scraped against the ocean washed planks of the dock and her breath came out in frustrated puffs from her nose. There just had to be someone on this miserable island that could help her.

The last girl on the beach was a dark skinned girl with denim shorts, hoop earrings and a long dark pony tail. Leshawna was the girl's name if Eva remembered correctly. The loud and proud 'sistah' had made quite the impression on her first day, nearly taking out some scrawny red headed nerd for his admittedly rude comments. She was definitely not somebody whose bad side you should be on, if that little display wasn't confirmation enough. However, she could also be pretty cool if you watched your words, and her confidence was something that Eva admired. And there weren't a lot of people who she could say that about. Her style was so natural and uninhibited, something that couldn't really be found in people today.

However, that may also be a downside between the dusky home girl and the strong woman. With them both being somewhat prideful and edgy they would obviously butt heads. If Eva tried to work with Leshawna, in a matter of minutes they would be exchanging words, and that would soon be followed by blows. No, it just wouldn't be a compatible… partnership between the two of them. Finally, Eva had reached the last of her list, when her eyes fell upon the sparkling waters of Lake Wawanakwa. A blond haired surfer girl, who was identified as Bridgette, was paddling out into the waves on her surf board. The Amazonian remembered that the girl had seemed nice, a little too nice perhaps, but very calm and accepting. If an altercation were to happen, she appeared to be the kind of girl who would rather talk it out than raise a fist. The only thing stopping Eva from asking her was the fact that Bridgette was a "natural".

It was obvious that the environmentalist didn't wear any kind of beauty product, either to not have it smudged when she surfed or to avoid something that was tested on animals. Her ponytail held a beauty gifted by genetics, the shimmering locks resembling stalks of wheat, and her naturally dark lashes accentuated her green eyes. She would more than likely give Eva the "you're beautiful just the way you are" speech too and that is not what she wanted. A defeated sigh escaped the European's lips as she stood from the dock and made her way to the beach. The sign was receding lower into the sky, its rays kissing delicately on the girl's skin.

Perhaps Eva wasn't meant to be like the other girls: pretty, popular and perfect. She tried to be once but it did not end in her favor. But, she was inexperienced then, didn't know what looked good or what was "in". Sure, she still didn't now, but, at least she had the confidence to ask for help this time around. She was tired of masking her pain, hiding under rage, strength and false bravado. If only there was someone she could ask, who wouldn't judge or make fun of her. Thinking back on the group of girls behind her, she knew that finding someone like that was highly unlikely. They were too different, some wouldn't understand and those who would couldn't help her anyway.

Glancing upwards from her sandy stroll, her hazel gaze settled out towards the horizon. The pink and orange sky met with the cerulean waters of the lake. Even if she were stuck here on this crappy reality show, and on this stupid island, maybe it wasn't all bad. Moments like this, when her world was calm, were what she truly needed. She hadn't felt this relaxed since she was a child; oh how she missed those days. The days where people's opinions didn't matter to her young mind and she didn't feel the pain that came with their harsh words. Yes, those were the days she longed for. Maybe, she could hold out for a little while longer, after this dumb competition was over and she could go back home. Hopefully with a hundred thousand dollars more in her bank account.

Yeah, she would win this thing and bring that cash back home to start on her, uh, project. Nothing was going to stand in the way of her goal, not a challenge or a competitor. It would require her mask to be on the entire time, but if helped her win, then so be it. Why should she care what these people thought of her anyway? Eva knew that they were scared of her, who wouldn't be? And now, they had every right to be. Anyone who stood in her way would quickly be crushed and sent packing before they could blink. For quite a few of these teens, it would be easy. A knowing smirk spread across her lips as her eyes hardened in determination. This game was hers and she will make sure that everybody knew it.

Making her way back to the cabins, Eva's thoughts were on what this game had in store. She could already tell that the host was nuts and that their obstacles would only get more difficult. No matter, Eva would persevere through it all without breaking a sweat. In fact, the only things that she knew she would break were her rivals. As the strong woman entered her cabin to retrieve her change of clothes, the other girls stopped their conversations to look at her. Some were filled with unease and fear, hoping that the raven haired Amazonian wasn't angry. Others looked on in surprise, wondering just where she had been all this time. Then there were those who only glanced out of mild curiosity before returning to their business.

Looking at them almost made the iron woman laugh. They had no idea that they would never get a chance to hold that small fortune, or that the true winner was right there. Grabbing her sleeping necessities, Eva exited the cabin and made her way towards the washrooms. Oh yes, this game was hers, she could feel it. She just had to win, so that she could show all of those who mocked her how horribly wrong they were. She would not go on being ignored or pushed aside just because she didn't fit the image that was plastered everywhere. Soon, oh so very soon, everyone would know her name and respect it. This was her chance, her time to shine, and she would not lose it.

_Alright everyone, I hoped you liked this story. I wanted to give more dimensions to Eva and why she acts the way she does. I know that this depiction is quite common but I hope that I have done something differently. This shall remain a one shot unless I have enough requests to continue. I plan on doing some more like these with my favorite Total Drama characters, the release dates I have no idea of. My schedule is pretty hectic with my school schedule being out of whack. I hope to upload quicker in the future but I can't make any promises. Well, hope to hear from you soon my babies. Mwah!_


End file.
